‘Umama’ street talk: motherhood, gender issues put on trial
A country that dishonours women cannot achieve development that has a firm foundation, according to an argument made in 1964 by freedom fighter Bibi Titi Mohamed.
Our society largely remains patriarchal, where males hold primary power, control leadership, moral authority, social privileges, property and so on. The girl child who makes it in politics and leadership has to work and fight extra hard or else has to be fronted by some male. It has not been so easy for the girl child.
Why am I bringing this up? Recently, in social media platforms, Tanzanians’ latest jest is something they call “umama”. This is a Swahili word that at casual glance stands for ‘motherhood’. But the manner the word is being used massively ridicules womanhood. It is as if motherhood is being criminalised.
In the jest umama challenge was being thrown all over to men who are seen as acting not ‘manly’ enough, hence being compared to women.
According to Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) executive director and advocate Anna Henga, using the word ‘mother” or “motherhood” in jest to explain weakness is gender discrimination and humiliation towards women. I second her thinking.
What kind of people are we to discriminate and humiliate women that way? What does it mean for our nation for so many people to share so many humiliating messages online, about “umama?” Where is the respect for womanhood and motherhood?
A nation is referred as ‘she’. We talk of mother Africa or mother Tanzania. That is respect for motherhood. Of all men who humiliate women, they were born by women. In my faith (Islam) mothers are to be valued on the first priority. They should get highest respect and dignity possible. And, we believe paradise lies at the feet of our mothers.
For a mother to give birth, it is a miracle of life itself, and all human beings should respect that. No one should ridicule the role of motherhood in the name of jokes that only takes the right of women away.
It’s a transverse of justice for umama challenge, though informal and in the social media to even exist. UN Women has been very clear that “women and girls, everywhere, must have equal rights and opportunity, and be able to live free of violence and discrimination.”
It’s a great shame today, that we have people jokingly and sharing widely the “umama challenge” discriminatory quotes. It’s such tendencies of disrespecting women that even pushes back our development agenda. If someone is sharing or composing such messages, will such a person respect women’s right at a place of work or if he has power?
In Tanzania and the world, we have reached a point in history where we can no longer afford to discriminate women and force them to minimally contributing to the social development. Ours is the age of human rights for all.
The proponent of “umama challenge” should take note that women’s equal right to development is a universal good. Please respect women and don’t write or share discriminatory messages.
It’s paramount for both women and men to understand that gender equality boosts economic growth. A study by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) in 2017 indicated that if the European Union “stepped up its efforts to improve gender equality, more jobs would be created, GDP per capita would increase and society would be able to adjust better to the challenges related to the ageing population.”
Now considering in general terms that, in EU, women’s right and equality are more respected than in Africa, could it be one of the main reason that underdevelopment is our failure to ensure gender equality? It is a question that needs deep consideration.
